Improvement in ore-concentrators



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. M. THOMPSON.

ORE GONCENTRATOR.

Patented J'an.4, 1876.

Unrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. THOMPSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN QRE-CONCENTRATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 71,747, dated January4, 1876 application filed January 30, 1875.

To all whom it may concern: 1 Be it known that I, JAMES M. THOMPSON, ofSan Francisco city and county, State of California, have invented anImproved Concentrator; and I do hereby declare the following descriptionand accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled inthe art or science to which it mostnearly appertains to make and use mysaid invention or improvement without further invention or experiment.

My invention relates toan improved machine for concentratingandlseparating the heavy particles of pulverized ore and otherfinely-divided substances from the lighter portions.

My machine can be used for concentrating either wet or dry material.

In order to illustrate my invention so that others will understand itsconstruction and operation, reference is had to the accompanying drawingforming a part of this specifica- 7 tion, in whichopen-topped box orsluice-section pan B by means of the supportinglegs C C. This pan orsluice section may be constructed of either wood or metal; but I preferto first construct a wooden pan with flaring sides and ends and thenline it inside with sheet-copper or other suitable thin sheet metal,thus combining lightness, strength, and durability in its construction.'The bottom of this tray or pan I construct sloping from each side toits middle, so as to provide a longitudinal chamber trough whichinclines toward the front end of the pan, and into which the heavyparticles will settle. The legs C which support the rear end of the panare hinged or otherwise loosely attached to the bottom of the pan attheir upper ends, and to the base A at their lower ends, while the legsC, which support the forward end of the tray or pan, are attached inasimilar manner at their upper ends, while their lower ends are attachedto the free end of a spring, 11, as shown, so that the weight of theforward end of the pan is supported by this spring. It will be necessaryin some kinds and forms of concentrators to support them entirely onsprings. A shaft, E, extends along underneath the middle of the pan Bfrom end to end, hearing at suitable points in boxes supported bystandards F, and extends far enough in advance of its forward end-toaccommodate the necessary gearing and driving mechanism. An adjustableor double eccentric, g, is secured upon this shaft near each end of thepan, and a pendant or plate, h, depends from the bottom of the pan uponeach side of both of the eccentrics,-so that-when the shaft is rota-tedthe eccentrics will throw against the pendants upon each sidealternately and give the pan an oscillatio'n from side to side. Theoscillation can be made more or less variable or irregular by alteringthe shape of these eccentrics. Standards H I J are secured upon the baseA in front of the pan at a short distance apart, the standard 11, whichis nearest the pan, being somewhat lower than the other two. Aspurwheel, K, is mounted upon a shaft, L, which bears in boxes upon theupper ends of the standards I J, and engages with a pinion, M, onthe'shaft E beneath.

The spur-wheel K is thus supported at a point opposite the middle of thefront endof the pan, and its face, which is toward the end of the pan,isv provided with an inclined rim, n, which gradually rises from a fixedpoint and extends around the wheel, ending by an abrupt offset,'(or morethan one ofl'set can be made,) thus providing a circular track orinclined plane, as shown. A rod, 0, has one end so secured to the middleof the front end of the pan as to permit the pan to oscillate, and thisrod extends far enough toward the wheel K to permit its oppositeextremity'to bear against this inclined rim or track on the face ofth'ewheel. Thus, when the wheel .K'isrotated the cam or inclined track willpush the rod and pan in a direction away from the wheel, until the endof the rod drops from the highest point of the incline and strikes orapproaches near to the lowest point. Axbufl'erbeam, 12, extends forwardfrom the front end of the pan far enough to strike against the upper endof the first or lowest standard B, when the pan moves forward again,after the end of the push-rod drops from the highest point of theinclined track, and thus produces a concussion which carries all theparticles toward the front or discharge end of the pan. A spring, q, hasit lower end secured to the base A, while its upper end bears againstthe rear end of the pan, so that it will move the pan forward, aftereach drop of the rod 0, with considerable force, or retard it as much asmay be necessary to decrease the effect of theconcussion. I

The length of the push-rod 0 should be regulated so that the hinged legs0 O, which support the forward end of the pan, will stand at an angleleaning toward the front endof the machine at all times when the end ofthe rod bears against the inclined track. When this is the case it isevident that the discharge or forward end of the pan will have a risingand falling, as well as a back and forth, motion, owing tothedifl'erence in the angle'of the legs as the pan moves back and forth,which will cause theconcussion to have also the effect of throwing downor precipitating the heavier particles of the pulp, while itis at thesame time carrying all the particles toward the front or discharge endof the pan, thus acting with the current, instead of against it, as inall other concentrators of this description of which I haveanyknowledge.

As the wheelK is several times larger than the pinion M on the shaft E,it is evident that the shaft E will make several rotations to onerotation of the wheel K, so that the pan will receive as manyoscillations from side to side during each backward movement orconcussion as the rotations of the shaftE exceed the rotations of thewheel K, and this diflerence can be easily regulated at will by varyingthe dimensions of these wheels; or if it should be desired to produce avery rapid oscillation, and but few concussions, aworm or screw can besubstituted in the place of the pinion remained stationary, thus leavinga portion of the pan-surface inactive, or, at least, incapable ofconcentrating the particles; but, by my arrangements, theentire pan isoscillated bodily, thus giving motion to all the particles which itcontains.

Across the rear end of the pan is the trough 11, into which the pulp orore is deposited, and

through the screen or perforated bottom of which it passes into the pan.At the front .end of the pan is a waste oro'verflow trough,

which the weight of" the snlphurets, as they accumulate, will open agate, so as to allow the overweight topass out, and thus retain auniform quantity in the fan all of the time.

To do this I make an opening, g, at the middle of theforward-end,uearthe bottom, orat the lowest part, and across thisopeningI mount a gate, 1', by hingingone end to the side of the pan. Theopposite end of the gate is formed into a goose-neck, which passes overthe side of the pan, as shown. A rod, 8, connects the end'of thisgoose-neck with the base A, so that when a suflicient weight ofsulphurets or heavy particles of ore accumulate in the forward end ofthe pan to cause the spring (1, upon which the forward legs 0 rest, tobe depressed, the rod 8 will hold the gate firmly in place, so thattheloweringor sinking down of the pan will uncover the opening q, andallow the excess of Sulphurets to pass out until the springs dagain liftthe pan so as. to cause the gate to cover the opening.

Two or more openings can be made in the frontend'of the pan at differentheights, and a single gate be employed to thus automatically open andclose-them by making suitable openings in the gate,as shown. I can thus1 of the middle channel, and to the under side of the pan I hinge oneend of a gate, a, so

that it will cover the opening. .Tooperate this gate I extend a rod, V,from its free end forward, so as to strike a plate, w, which is fixed tothe standard H. This plate is secured to the standard at an angle, andsteps or benches are formed on its outer face, as shown, so that whenthe pan movesforward the rod will strike the plate 112 and open thegate. As

the height of this end of the pan is variable on account of the changingweight of sulphurets, which it supports or contains, the rod V willstrike the plate at diiferentpoints of its length, accordin g to theamount of depression,

and each stroke forcesthe free end of the gate,

a backward away from the opening t, so as to allow the sulphurets topass out. A cord or chain, as, againdraws the gate over the opening whenthe pan moves backward, thusclosing theopening and providing anintermittent discharge through the bottom of the pan.

Other devices could be employed by which the elevation or depression ofthepan, caused giving it to the frame in which it rests. "the bottom ofthe pan I also make one or more ver, Q.

placed as to be caused to move across it by the elevation or depressionof the pan, or the pan could be placed in a frame and made to rest onsprings at its dischargeend, and be so adjusted in the frame that itsdischargeopenings would be exactly opposite similar openings in the endof the frame when the accumulation of the sulphuret-s reaches itsmaximum, and the motion imparted to the pan by In cavities at a levelbelow thelowest dischargeopening, to receive and retain any quicksilverwhich the pulp may contain. Each of the discharge-openings q q hasaspout leading outside of the pan, through which the sul- -phuret's areconveyed to a receptacle. The

longitudinal channel before described, which is formed by depressing thebottom from its sides toward its center, serves the triple purpose ofcollecting and directing the heavier particles toward theirdischarge-opening, and forms a cavity or depression, which will beconstantly filled by a compact body of these heavier particles, and bywhich a flow of water out oftheir discharge-opening will be prevented. RR R are scrapers or stirrers, which are operated automatically by theback and forth movements of the pan. These scrapers are secured atintervals apart to a rod, T. The end of this rod to which'th'e scrapersor hoes are attached extends over the pan, while its opposite end passesthrough a slot in the vertical plate P, which extends upward from the.standard I, and through a hole in the plate P on the standard J, whileits extremity is secured to one arm of a centrally-pivoted le- Theextremity of the opposite arm ofthis leveris connected with the pan by arod, B, so that as the panmoves back and forth the scrapers will begivenan opposite or raking movement. A plate, S, is secured to the spur-wheelK, so as to form an eccen-l --tr1c, which serves to lift these stirrersas the pan moves forward, and drop them as it moves backward, thusallowing them to rake the surface of the ore or pulp, and keep it movingto ward the outlet. This raking attachment will be especially usefulwhen concentrating dry substances, as it will continually rake 0d thetop or lighter portion, which is not affected as much by the concussionas the heavy parti-' cles, and which would in a wet concentrator becarried off by the water.

- By supporting the pan upon legs I dispense with the frame-work overthe pan, which has been heretofore used in the construction of thisclass of concentrator, and by giving the legs an inclination forward Iimpart a downhill or descending movement to the pan when it movesforward, which aids in moving all By changing the angle or position ofthe legs, the descending or down-hill movement can be regulated asdesired, and by lengthening or shortening, and giving the legs 0 G,which support the rear end of the pan,either more or less inclinationthan the legs 0 c, which support the front 01' discharge end, anydesired variation in the relative height of the ends of the pan can beproduced, theJmost rapid variation or undulation taking place during theforward movement of the pan, and just previous to the concussion, and bygiving the legs 0 c, which support the rear end of the pan, more or lessinclination opposite to that of the legs 0 'c, any desired elevation ofthe rear end of the pan can be produced during its forward movement, anda correthe curve which the upper end of the legs describes, and which ismore or less abrupt in proportion to the length of the legs. The shorterthese legs the more abrupt the curve. The same effect is produced whenthe pan is suspended by rods, except "that the curve described is justthe oppositev to that'in which it moves when it is supported on flegs.This produces a very rapid rising and falling of the pan when it isactuated, which hasa disturbing effect on the particles of the pulp andinterferes with the process of separation.

To avoid this disadvantage, I have discovered that the movements of thepan as it oscillates and vibrates must be instraight lines, and that itsonly elevation and depression must be during its back-and-forth motions,

which I call its longitudinal vibration, the elevation taking place, asbefore described, during the backward movement, and thedepression duringthe forward movement and just previous to theconcussion.

Various devices can be employed to sosu'pport or suspend the pan as tocause it to move in this manner; but the one I have found to be the bestis that shown in the drawings a a. are round plates or flanges, whichare secured to the upper ends of the legs 0 c, and the upper faces ofwhich are rounded, so that these faces constitute segments or portionsof a sphere, whose radius or semi-diameter is equal to the length of thelegs measured from these faces to their lower ends. The upper ends ofthe legs project through the plates, and also fit loosely in holes inthe inclines or platesb b, which are secured to the bottom of the pan.These plates are so adjusted to the pan that their faces can always bekept at.

rightangles to the legs.

. Now, it is evident that as the distances from the'lower endot' thelegs to any point on the uppercnrved or spherical facesof the plates areexactly equal, that the pan as it is actu .ated and moves or rolls onthe faces of these plates, will describe a straight line in anydirection which it maybe moved, whichwill be a tangent to the curvedescribed by the curved 1 3068101 the plates, and which will be at rightangles to a straight linedrawnfromathe point at which the lower end ofthe legs rest to the ,point of contact between the curved faces of theplates orflanges a a and the faces of the,

plates or inclines b b.

It is evident that a pan being mounted in this or any other equivalentmanner, and being placed in a level position, and the legs 0 c whichsupport it being placed perpendicularly, would be kept during all itsmovements in a perfectly level plane, as its oscillation andvibrationswould bein lines which would always be'at right angles to theperpendicular position of thelegs, and consequently always horizontal,and the pan would be kept in a perfectly level position, and also at thesame height all the time, and it is theneasily'understood thatif thesupporting-legs c c are inclined from a perpendiculanand the faces ofthe inclines or plates b b adjusted atright angles to the legs,

that the pan would then in all its movements be keptin ,a plane whichwould be at right anglesto the inclination; of the legs'c 0. ATheconvexity ofthe faces of the platesa'a can Dedecre'ased or varied,so. as 130 give the pan any desired movement corresponding; to thatwhich it would have if suspended by .ro s.

The armor rod 0 is hinged to the end of theipan, and passes. looselythrough a hole in a .tratingpan B supported upon hinged legs 0 theupright plate 1), by which it is guided, s

' that it creates but little friction.

It will be noticed that the concussion and flow of water in the pan willbein the same direction, instead ofin opposite directions, as

, heretofore, thusgreatly facilitating the operation of settling theheavy particles, and carrying them, as well as all the particles,towardtheir discharge-openings.

. By. this arrangement, the two'forces which are employed to efi'ect theseparation and discharge of the particles contained in thepulp arecaused to act together and aid each other, and the niceadjustment isnotrequired as is necessary inconcentrators where the force of theconcussion is alone depended upon to carry the heavier particles in adirection op-' .oposite to the flow of thewater,and where the force ofthe water or current'is alone depended upon to'carry the lighterparticles in a directionopposite to the effect of the concussion.

Instead of placing the driving-shaft E below the middle of the pan, theshaft couldbe placed1 near its .side, and where two or more abovedescribed.

pans are to be used side by side, one shaft could bevplaced between themso as toserve for both pans, and impart the oscillatory movement to thepan by pitmen, and the ooncna sion by neans of rag wheels andchains,instead of *piuions, or-by means of a single camwheel andcentrallypivoted arms or elbows with one of each of their ends bearingagainst the faceofthe incline or eam,-and the other being looselyattached or hinged to the endlof thepushu odo. no r V o 1..

The outer wooden panisfor supportingthe inner pan, which is madeofsheet-copper, @or other metal or alloy capableof being plated withsilver, copper, orflquicksilver. @This inside pan, having the supportofthe outside wooden pa'n, can be madeof very light and thin material. f ino i If desired, thewooden. sides canbe dispensed with, as hereinbeforestated, anda simple wooden bottom alone be employed.

The bottom can be madeof thick aplank, and theend next to the bumper orcam can be narrowed and extended beyond theend of the pan, soastorreceive the blow of the concussion. a a l By having an outer woodenpan the additional advantage is gained of being able to "secure the panmore firmly to t-he bottom or .timber which roceives the blow oftheconcussimnand-thus prevent the troublexwhich, by the ordinaryarrangement, is encountered by the wear of the boltsintheir holes inalpan constructed entirely of metal occasioned by the continual jarringwhich thewpan. is subjected to, and which causes theholes towear largerand {the bolts and. pan to become loose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire toseeurelby Letters Patcut, is-- n n r l, The vibrating" andnndulatingconcen- 2. The concentrator 'Bfmountedfor suspend- ;edon thesprings d d, which cause its elevation to varyin proportion to-theaccumulation of the heavier particles in it,in combination with l thegate or, by: whichtheelevation or-defpressionof the pan regulates thesize lof the discharge-opening. o r

3. In combination with a vibrating concentrator, an automaticintermittent discharge,

consisting of a pivoted gate, u, operated through a rod, V,and cord as,and causedby the back and forth movements of the pan to alternately openand close the dischargeopening, and in combination with thesprinjgs d dand plate to to regulatethedischarge, substantially as described,

4. .In combination with a vibrat ng concen trator, B, anautomaticrakeorscrapers, B

R R, operated by the'movements of the concentrator by means of thepivoted lever same end of the pan.

6. A concentrating pan or sluicesection mounted or suspended on flexiblebearings,

which are provided with the plates a a, having spherical faces, incombination with the adjustable plates 1) b secured to the bottom of thepan, by which the pan is caused to move in planes either horizontal orinclined, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal.

JAMES MONROE THOMPSON. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG, O. M. RICHARDSON.

